With inflation at record highs, more and more people are considering whether to take a crack at raising their own chicken flocks to cut down on a little of their food bills.

But an expert warns that if they’re looking to save money, they most likely won’t.

“If they think they are going to raise chickens and get cheaper eggs, that is a big mistake,” said Philip Clauer, an associate teaching professor in the Animal Science Department at Penn State’s University Park campus.

Chickens need shelter, food and maintenance - all factors that can drive up costs.

Still, the interest in backyard farming doesn’t surprise Clauer, who is also a 4-H youth poultry coordinator.

“I’ve been doing this now for 40-some years and any time you have a time in which there is questionable recession or when prices get out of whack because of inflation, people get on these kicks of trying to produce their own food,” Clauer said. “Poultry falls right in behind that. Typically egg production falls right behind the vegetable gardens and other types of things.”

Clauer noted that the chicken raising trend started with the COVID-19 pandemic and is continuing. Unlike other lockdown hobbies like baking, playing board games or reading - raising chickens requires research, equipment and commitment.

First of all, Clauer said individuals should be aware of any rules in the municipalities where they live. They should check local ordinances, zoning laws, and property association rules to see if they can raise chickens, and then apply for permits if required.

If chickens are permitted, urban areas might cap the number of chickens at six or less, while rural areas might permit more.

“It really varies greatly,” Clauer said of permitted flock sizes.

Finding pullets, or young hens, is also difficult nowadays.

“You’re not going to be able to get started with pullets right now. They’re almost impossible to find. If you do, they are about three times the price right now than they would be otherwise,” Clauer noted.

Chickens need shelter, which is typically the heftiest upfront cost.

“Just building or buying a coop and the equipment you need to set it up properly for the birds is a big outlay,” Clauer said.

In general, coops should allow 2-square feet of indoor space for each bird.

Shelter costs vary based on requirements, and can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, he said. If purchasing young chicks, they’ll need special heating equipment.

“So it takes a long time to pay back those eggs,” Clauer said.

It also takes time for a chicken to start laying eggs. A hen will typically start producing eggs between 20 and 22 weeks.

During peak production, Clauer they’ll lay an egg a day.

They’ll also need an artificial light source to keep them laying year-round.

“A bird needs a minimum of 14 to 16 hours of light a day to stay in production,” he said.

And if conditions are correct, the hens will produce at a 55% to 60% rate for 60 to 80 weeks.

“They’ll lay for a good year and then they will start dwindling down,” he said.

Feed can also get expensive.

“Especially when you are buying it in 50-pound bags. The markup is extreme when you are buying in small quantities,” Clauer explained.

Chickens can live for 7 to 8 years. However, production rates decrease with age, he said.

“You don’t get much eggs out of them after about the third to fourth year,” he said.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of a dozen large grade A eggs rose more than 150% in one year. Data shows that shoppers paid $3 more in January 2023 than they paid at that time last year.

Clauer said that the avian flu is largely to blame for that increase. Labor, transportation and feed costs also contributed to the jump.

“The biggest thing with that is simple supply and demand. When you lose 40,000 (egg) layers in a period of about 12 months to a disease nationwide, you’re taking a huge number of eggs per day off the market,” he said, noting that it translates to a loss of about 38 million eggs per day.

“You just can’t replace that overnight,” he said.

Infected birds must be disposed of, and farms must be cleaned and retested. It takes about 120 days, he said.

“It’s a vicious cycle that has to work itself out. We’re in the process of getting there,” he said. “We’re starting to see the prices of eggs dropping on the wholesale level. I think it’s just a matter of time here, and we will be back to a reasonable price with our eggs - as long as avian flu doesn’t creep up real heavy, especially in the Midwest.”

The avian flu can hit backyard flocks as well.

The Penn State Extension has a host of information available for those interested in raising chickens for eggs.

Clauer has penned several, including this one that touches on many points: https://extension.psu.edu/successfully-raising-a-small-flock-of-laying-chickens